3D shuts off for no reason during smoke- no rhyme or reason

[40 caliber]

There is something wrong with the 3D and i don't know where to start.
Issue:
I set the temp on the 3D and at some point it goes "end" and it is no where near finished.
1. it doesn't happen all the time. usually in the first 5 minutes and i do a reset to the machine.
2. I have lost the 2nd pork butt as i ran it over night. This was the second lost but not in a row. i had no problem a week ago smoking a butt overnight. No rhyme or reason...
3. I had also smoked a roast and some chicken breasts yesterday without issue before the smoke. This was my 3rd smoke today). The smoker had enough time to cool between smokes. box temp was to ambient in each case.
4. all 3 smokes were using the probe. the first 2 were fine after starting and produced good food to temp.
5. I had trouble with the first smoke on the smoker and used a brand new probe out of the  box. I don't think it's the probe but the problem went away at that point.

6. last night at 10:30 I started the 3D with an 8lb pork butt started it at 240 to a finish butt temp of 200.. temp outside was 36.  20 minutes later i check it and it says end. I try to restart it. the meat temp jumps around from 30, 110, 150 175 end... the wood had not even started to smoke. I shut off on, unplug, replug. It's a bone in butt so i put the probe in on the side and it works. I thought i might have touched the bone.
7. I finally  get it to start and babysit it until midnight. it's running fine. temp is 197 and climbing. meat at 75 IT. I wake up 5 hours later and it's off!! no way is it done. box temp is now 50 ..butt is 90 degrees. no idea how long it's been off. for safety sake, i am throwing away the butt

what I know:
1. This is the second butt this has happened with. the last 10-12 smokes were fine but i did have this problem with another butt. I also smoked a butt without issue 2 weeks ago.

2. The probe was new out of the box today as I had trouble on the first smoke and I thought this was the problem. I've done this before and gone back to an older probe and it works fine without issue. I am pretty convinced it's not the probe.

3. The nut on the side of the pid (where you insert the probe) is somewhat loose. Is that normal? i have tried to tighten it but it's can't be tightened. it has a little tension when tightening but  then gets loose again.

4. The butt was on the 3rd rack down so it avoided touching the inside thermometer. when I lost the last butt , i posted and we thought i might have skewered it and screwed it up. definitely not the case

Question: where do I start to figure this out? I am no wrench....Help

By the way, I plan to toss the butt for safety reasons (it was a beautiful boston butt - sob) , but i restarted it once this am and in the hour i am drinking my coffee and posting this it's working fine ARRRGGGHHH.......

 

[40 caliber]

I have also realized, in the future, I will run it overnight for time and not rely on the probe while i sleep.  i should have set it for 235-240 for 6-7 hours then had it switch to temp at 190 IT finish. at least i would not have lost the butt.  :'(.... it's not the money...its the  loss wonder taste!!

 

[Donmac]

Tom, I have had this happen a couple times with my 3D also. I have not lost any meat yet because these were day smokes. This also happened in cold weather too and has never happened to me when it was warm out. I have not been able to figure it out but for me it has happened a few minutes into the smoke and....end. Reset and end again in a couple mins.

 

[SuperDave]

I have also realized, in the future, I will run it overnight for time and not rely on the probe while i sleep.  i should have set it for 235-240 for 6-7 hours then had it switch to temp at 190 IT finish. at least i would not have lost the butt.  :'(.... it's not the money...its the  loss wonder taste!!

This is the smart way to go. My Auber has issues on both the box temp side and the meat temp side from time to time.  My other suggestion is to enter multiple programs.  If you only have one program set whether it be time or IT, it will shutoff if during the freak out period the parameter of the first program is met.  I now set 3 programs even if they are almost identical with only time or temp being the difference. 

 

[40 caliber]

Hi donmac, maybe it's a new hampshire thing.. ;D..... yes, it happens in the cold but it also does not happen in the cold. Do you do multiple smokes in a day? i Just realized that both times i lost meat, i also did an earlier smoke and washed the probe between smokes.  I wonder if the water temp on the probe and the cold outside temp a few minutes later had anything to do with it. Maybe I should change probes between smokes and see if that matters.
its a reach but ....I am trying.

the Ironic part is when i restarted it at 5am it ran flawlessly until 2pm when i pulled the butt and threw it away. i just let it go to see what happened. it ran twice as long as when i slept and without issue.

Thanks Dave, i will try the setting two stages on my overnight temp next time.... all i can say is good thing it wasnt a bri$ket!

 

[Donmac]

Hi donmac, maybe it's a new hampshire thing.. ;D..... yes, it happens in the cold but it also does not happen in the cold. Do you do multiple smokes in a day?

No I have never done multiple smokes in a day. But one time I did have a change of heart on a temp and shut it down to set the temp higher. I think I boosted it from 200 to 225 if I remember correctly. I was running fine at 200 but after I shutdown and reset to 225 it never reached the desired 225 temp. That was in the cold also.

 

[40 caliber]

Hi donmac, maybe it's a new hampshire thing.. ;D..... yes, it happens in the cold but it also does not happen in the cold. Do you do multiple smokes in a day?

No I have never done multiple smokes in a day. But one time I did have a change of heart on a temp and shut it down to set the temp higher. I think I boosted it from 200 to 225 if I remember correctly. I was running fine at 200 but after I shutdown and reset to 225 it never reached the desired 225 temp. That was in the cold also.

i have changed temps a number of times. I dont shut it down i just tap the button on my 3D and goose it. it's never been a problem. is that  wrong?

 

[Donmac]

i have changed temps a number of times. I dont shut it down i just tap the button on my 3D and goose it. it's never been a problem. is that  wrong?

Well then I will try it that way if I need to boost the temp in the future. Thanks

 

[40 caliber]

cooking a roast today. as soon as i started it, the probe the 3D shut off. my theory of multiple smokes is gone as this is the first one in a week and half.  I shut if off and on a number of times and got it working. checked on it 20 mins later , It's off again! 

Donmac maybe it's cold weather. it's the only theory left.

the machine have me the -H- error you get in the beginning. I replugged the probe and it went away. I am thinking maybe a bad connection where i instert the probe? there is a nut on the side  behind the hole where you insert the probe. mine turns slightly with some pressure when you turn it. it doesn't appear to tighten. is this normal for any other 3d? if anyone can answer that woudl help narrow this down

opinions welcome
sent steve an email the first time this happened never heard back

 

[40 caliber]

in the time i posted, it went off again. I switched to time and put the Maverick temp guage through the hole to finish this roast. I SLIGHTLY wiggled the probe insert to the machine and it shut off twice. I think somehow it is loose at the insert. open to suggestions. i am assuming i open up the phillips screws and see if it can be tightened from the inside?

someone let me know  if that nut is supposed to be loose. Opinions welcome. I spent $850 for a 3D so i can use it like a $650 3.

 

[SuperDave]

Tom, my last Auber malfunction was quickly fixed by Auberins for $10 and the price to mail it to them. On the D models are the controllers easily removed?

 

[40 caliber]

Tom, my last Auber malfunction was quickly fixed by Auberins for $10 and the price to mail it to them. On the D models are the controllers easily removed?

maybe, it looks ilke 6-8 phillips heads to open the top but not sure where to go from there. I would have to see if it's an easy disconnect. the roast is cooking model 3 style still. maybe there is some info in the instructions

 

[old sarge]

Tom -
On the loose nut, it should be tight.  If you have a small needle nose pliers, you can grip the connector to hold it in place while you tighten the nut. If that doesn't work, carefully remove the controller cover (8 screws) and attack the problem from within. You may have to back off the outside nut a turn and tighten the inside nut (if it has one). If the nut threads normally and seems to reach the end and remains not tight, try adding a spacer to take up the slack.

Do you keep the smoker covered or the probe port covered with some sort of plug or something?  If not, dust or debris may have blown around and gotten inside, maybe even an insect.  A can of dust off works well to blow debris out the area.  Lastly, here is a link for the controller as sold by AuberIns.  While it is a stand alone unit, the innards are the same so the instructions are the same.  There are trouble shooting tips and instructions. Hopefully this will help you get back up and running. If not, contact Auber.
David
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_28&products_id=381

 

[DivotMaker]

Tom,

Download the attachment on this post:  Upgrade Kits 

DModInstructions, at the bottom of the first post.  This will give you a good idea of how the D models are assembled.  Have you talked to Steve?

 

[old sarge]

Sure beats what I've been referencing lately.  Thanks!

 

[40 caliber]

I left steve an email and never heard from him over a month ago. I need to get back to this,. i spent most of March travelling for business and have not had a chance to come back to this.
the few times i have been able to smoke, it has been manual with another temp guage. sorta like having a 3 vs 3D.

I hope to get around to tearing it apart shortly. 
what's the best way to get hold of steve?

 

[old sarge]

I would call. He has always answered my calls or returned a call if really busy.

 

[dibiase]

I have had this happen to me as well lately.  I will have the 1st setting set to go at 225 until probe temp hit 190 then the second setting is to hold at 140.  It's like the probe freaks out and the program jumps to step 2.  I can wiggle the probe a little bit and see the temp on the gauge jump all over the place.  I got luck and caught it the first time it happened so I didn't lose the meat.  Since them I haven't been using temperature and have only been using time.

 

[old sarge]

Tom, Chris, - Give Steve a call (260)417-9951.  The jack needs to be tight and should be easy to tighten.  Tony posted how to install an upgrade kit on page 1 of this section (http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=4444.0) so that folks opening up the controller know what is going on. Also, probes are not water proof and need to be dry as does the jack. Have you looked for any dust or dead bug parts inside the jack?  Moisture inside the jack?  A hair dryer should take care of any moisture issues with the jack and as for the probe, the hair dryer or just setting it in the sun should dry it out if it has a moisture issue.  Removing the cover allows you to check for and correct a loose connection inside at the jack/board. If none of this works, call Steve.

 

[dibiase]

Good call Sarge.  I checked the plug and it was just a little bit loose.  I tightened it up and smoked some Canadian bacon this weekend without any issues.  I even tried wiggling the plug around and it didn't freak out anymore.